In the second half of the nineteenth century a paradigm was transplanted to Brazil that focused on the scientific method of investigation when teaching the Natural Sciences in the secondary School. The paradigm originated in the United States in response to internal criticisms and international events. Initially financed by foreign grants, and later supported by the Ministry of Education, a movement appeared in Brazil that sought to produce and disseminate didactic materials that incorporated the principles of the paradigm. This paper describes the trajectory of the paradigm and the science education reform movement that resulted, from its origin in the United States to its implementation in Brazil in the 1960s and 1970s.